Love Is Not Blind
by Katie26
Summary: A tale that takes place as I write it. Hopefully, the climax or the end will be on Christmas Day. Hope you enjoy this RH fic! (This is my first try at action!)
1. Introduction

Author's Note: Hi, everyone! This story needs help! I'm going to write the first chapter, and then I want ideas in the reviews!!!! This story will, of course, be R/H, because H/H is sickening. The story will take place between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hopefully, the story will be finished by then. I'll update about once a week, but I can't start right on Thanksgiving, so we're going to pretend that today is Thanksgiving.  
  
Love Is Not Blind  
  
"Love is not blind -- it simply enables one to see things others fail to see."  
  
--Anonymous  
  
Chapter One: One Big Happy Family  
  
"WE WON!!!" screamed the many Gryffindor supporters as they poured off the field. Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Gryffindor team were on a winning streak, and it showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Hermione hurried up to Gryffindor Tower to save her books before they were trampled, and met Harry and Ron in the Common Room.  
"We killed them!" whooped Ron, hugging Harry around the shoulders, still jumping up and down.  
"Slytherin didn't have a chance!" yelled Harry, half running, half staggering under Ron's weight and tumbling down through the portrait hole.  
Hermione grinned ruefully. These were the boys she had had put up with since her first day in the wizarding world and she wouldn't trade them for anything.  
  
Author's Note: This is just an introduction. More after Thanksgiving!! 


	2. Never Leave Your Cell Phone in the Movie...

Author's Note: The last chapter wasn't really a chapter, just a few sentences to show you what my writing style is. Hope you're okay with that and that you like the installment of this story.  
  
Disclaimer: This is the beginning of an adventure that I made up. However, all of the characters and most of the places are totally and absolutely not mine. They belong to JKR.  
  
Chapter Two: Never Leave Your Cell Phone in the Movie Theater  
  
"Harry, I think I left my broom out on the field. I've got to get it before it rains."  
"I'll go with you," said Harry, rising from his chair. Ron, however, gestured for him to stay.  
"I can get it. You can stay and enjoy the celebration. Harry was about to protest, but Dean Thomas quickly shoved some Butter beer into his hands and pulled him over to a large group of gorgeous girls who had taken off their scarves to reveal the huge dips in their collars. Harry was cross-eyed.  
Chuckling, Ron shoved his way to the portrait hole and out into the corridor. As he trotted down the halls, he heard a soft patting behind him. Turning, he spotted his bushy-haired friend and slowed to let her catch up to him.  
"What are you doing here?" asked Ron amiably, the after effects of winning still wearing off. Hermione seemed to also be in a good mood, and he didn't want to ruin that.  
"Lavender left her cloak and perfume in the stands, and she's too busy letting boys goggle at her cleavage to get it herself," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. She was not, Ron noticed, wearing anything showy. "Where are you going?"  
"Left my broom out."  
"Oh."  
The rest of the walk was silent until they made it to the field. Hermione jogged into the Gryffindor stands and began searching for Lavender's things. Ron searched for his broom which he so carelessly left next the field. He would have to trim the tail, but other than that it was in good condition. Hermione caught up to him and they began to walk back to the castle.  
Suddenly, Ron spotted something coming out of the Forbidden Forest, flying right at him and Hermione.  
"Duck!" he shouted, tackling Hermione and forcing both of them to the ground.  
Something large, dark, and very vicious soared inches above Ron's head, snarling and salivating. Ron lifted his head slightly and heard the sound of a huge animal rushing toward him again.  
A large net captured both flailing teens and pulled them along and into the forest. Ron tumbled out of the net, dragging Hermione with him. A flash of light blinded them both temporarily, and then all went black.  
  
Hermione woke slowly, her head throbbing. Beside her, she heard a groan and tried to open her eyes, but failed. Groaning herself, she half turned her head and fluttered her eyelashes.  
"Hermione?" called Ron faintly.  
"Ron," whispered Hermione, her whole body sagging like lead. The effort to speak was too much, and she felt too nauseous to open her mouth.  
Ron opened his eyes and rolled over to face Hermione. Her eyes were closed and she looked clammy. He sat up and almost keeled over from the force of his headache. Hermione moaned again, her hand moving to massage her head. Ron gained control of his brain again and began to massage the pins and needles out of his legs and feet. Hermione opened her eyes and pushed herself onto her elbows, squinting against the bright sunlight that engulfed them. Ron helped her sit up and then began to stand. Looking around, he saw that they were on the grounds of a large castle, not unlike Hogwarts. Ron knew, however, that this castle was not Hogwarts. It appeared to be completely empty.  
Hermione stood behind him, not sure what to say or what to do.  
"Uh oh."  
  
"Harry, have you seen Ron or Hermione?" asked Ginny.  
Harry, turning away from Parvati, seemed spacey, but was brought back to Earth by the question Ginny placed. "Huh? Oh, no, I haven't seen them. Ron said he was going to get his broomstick."  
"Are you sure that's not code for 'I'm going to go snog Hermione senseless?' or something?"  
"Ron doesn't like Hermione like that, Ginny. Your mind works in weird ways," said Harry, seeming slightly sickened.  
"What ever, Harry."  
  
Author's Note: Don't worry; I'll drag Harry and Ginny into this somehow. Ron and Hermione are the main focus of this story, though.  
  
The next chapter is (drum roll, please)...  
  
ACHILLES'S HEEL 


	3. Achilles' Heel

Author's Note: This is sort of short, but I'm still working on Mishap Madness, and it's hard to write two stories at once. I had a dream that was similar to this story and I decided to make it my plot, just changing some places and characters around. There was no one like Harry or Ginny in my dream, so it might be hard for me to write them in. I'm still looking for plot ideas, so if you have any, please tell me! Also, reviews fuel my writing!!!! No reviews, no writing!!!!  
  
Chapter Three: Achilles' Heel  
  
Note: This was supposed to be last chapter, but I couldn't write a huge chapter because expectations would rise, so enjoy this nice short chapter.  
  
Ron gaped at his surroundings. There was no lake and the trees looked dead and desolate. Ivy grew up and around the castle walls and completely covered the main door.  
Taking stock of himself, Ron noticed that his shirt was cut in several places and his elbows were bruised, but he was okay. Hermione was also looking herself over, and Ron noticed a large rip in her skirt that almost showed her knickers, but he quickly averted his eyes.  
Hermione, dusting herself off, looked back up at the castle. "That's definitely not Hogwarts," she stated simply, not looking very much fazed. Ron almost laughed; that was Hermione's cool.  
Ron began walking up to the castle. Hermione, however, pulled him back. "Are you crazy?" she hissed. "We're attacked by some flying thing and dropped in a strange place! Yes, let's just go waltzing up to the castle where anybody could be waiting for us!"  
"Hermione, it looks empty to me," Ron reasoned. Hermione still looked nervous. "If you want to stay out here, its fine with me, but it looks like it might rain and it isn't very warm out." A small current of cold air hit Hermione as if to prove his point. Hermione nodded slightly and Ron began his trek up to the deserted castle again. As they reached the castle door, Ron began to clear off the ivy. Hermione, still jogging to catch up, began to speak, but then shrieked.  
Ron looked up. A heavy tree branch from a nearby pine was falling towards him. Ron dove. The branch caught his foot as he fell. He cried out in pain as his ankle cracked. Then he lost consciousness.  
  
Ron awoke to the sound of Hermione's breathing. She was panting heavily and standing over him.  
"Ron? Are you awake? Are you okay?" she asked him, moving him into a more comfortable position. Ron only groaned.  
Hermione sat back and relaxed slightly. Ron lifted his head slightly and looked around him. The first thing he noticed was that the lower half of his leg hurt like hell and he couldn't move his at all. The second thing he noticed was that the branch that broke his heel lay a yard away.  
"Hermione, how did the branch move?" he asked, curious. He didn't think that Hermione could move any object that heavy.  
"I moved it," she said simply.  
"How?" he asked incredulously.  
"I don't know how," she said, brushing it aside, "but you can't just lie here, and I definitely can't carry you inside. Your ankles completely broken and I can't find either of our wands. Someone will notice that we're missing soon and Dumbledore will probably be able to find us somehow but it's getting cold fast, Ron." At this point, Hermione was near tears and hysterics.  
"Hermione calm down," said Ron, grabbing her hand. "We'll find a way out of this mess." Embarrassed, he let go of her hand and turned to the present obstacles. It was cold and getting colder. Hermione still had tears pouring down her face; she felt hopeless without her wand.  
A breeze hit Ron's knee, knocking his ankle just slightly. The movement caused him to gasp. He screwed up his face in pain and Hermione looked panicked again. Ron quickly regained his passive and calm face for Hermione's sake and bit his lip to block out the pain. It didn't work. His ankle was bleeding profusely and the sight of his own blood was making him slightly ill.  
Hermione gulped and began to relax and regain control of her emotions. She set her face and took the reigns again. "Alright, first we have to stop your ankle from bleeding. In normal circumstances, we should apply pressure to the wound, but in your case, it's broken and pressure would just hurt you. I have Lavender's cloak, but I left mine in the castle. You can use yours for warmth. I'm going to use this on your ankle to mop up some of the blood and maybe keep germs from getting inside the cut."  
Thinking aloud seemed to help Hermione, so Ron let her get on with it. He laid back on the hard, cold, and uncomfortable ground and tried not to cry out or wince when Hermione jostled his leg or ankle. The pain was beginning to ebb away as his foot numbed from being tied up with his own shoelace. When Hermione began to remove his shoes and socks, Ron felt the pain full on again.  
"Holy-" he shouted, startling Hermione.  
"Oh, Ron, I'm sorry, I thought the shoelace tie might help with some of the pain. I really need to remove this shoe, though. I can't see your ankle well enough. I'm so sorry!" Hermione cried. She was crying again.  
"No," Ron gasped, trying not to show how much pain he was in. "I'm okay, Hermione." Ron tried to pull his mind away from the pain in his leg, but there was no where for it to go. A stake was being driven into his foot at its most sensitive point and he felt and heard every nerve in the area cry in agony. As Hermione tried to gently pull off the sock that was now soaked in blood, the anguish overwhelmed him. His eyes rolled back and he fainted.  
  
Hermione tried the best she could to be gentle and not move Ron's lower leg, but the care that a broken ankle required could not be given while the ankle was wrapped in shoes and socks. She wished her wand was with her, but she didn't even know how to heal a broken ankle magically. Madame Pomfrey was much better at this than she was; the sight of blood nauseated her slightly and the way Ron's ankle stuck out at an odd angle was making her queasy. She couldn't hope to heal Ron's ankle, but she could make a splint out of sticks and Ron's other shoelace and hope that it would heal the wrong way.  
When Ron fainted, Hermione grew nervous again, afraid that he had lost too much blood. However, she pressed on, tying the cloak pieces and splint firmly around Ron's foot.  
Suddenly, the memory of third year rushed into her head. Ron broke his leg while being pulled into the Whomping Willow by a big black dog, which turned out to Sirius Black. The recollection of the memory brought tears to her eyes and a smile to her face; all memories of Sirius were bittersweet, and everything had turned out alright in the end.  
Hermione decided that Ron couldn't lie on the ground until help arrived. She pulled off his cloak with some difficulty and used it to cushion his head. When she had pulled all the ivy off of the door, she opened the heavy doors to reveal a huge hallway. The dusty marble floor was regal no more and the dark stone walls were coated in grime. Spider webs clung to the nooks and the majestic statue of a king standing at the bottom of the grand staircase was home to more than one eight-legged creature. Knowing Ron would hate her for literally dragging him into this spider hotbed, she pulled him into the dust-covered entrance hall, leaving a streak where his body has cut through the dust. Whispering apologies the whole time, she dragged him toward the stairs as disturbed spiders crawled over his bodies.  
  
(Author's Note: You have no idea how hard it was for me to write that paragraph! I hate spiders as much as Ron!)  
  
Hermione heaved Ron up the stairs and into the first bedroom she saw. There was no bed, so Hermione left Ron in the hall and began to check all of the living spaces for a bed. Strangely, she found a spacious bedroom complete with a bed, couch, wash basin, and bathroom. Hermione pulled Ron in, taking care not to bump his ankle on anything, and tried to pull him onto the bed. After a few tries, she knew it was impossible. Instead, she pulled the dusty covers off the bed and made a makeshift bed on the grubby floor. Ron would be filthy when he woke up, but Hermione was sure that she was no treat to look at either.  
Hermione got a small blanket out of the nearby closet and practically fell onto the couch from exhaustion.  
  
Ron awoke to find his lower leg throbbing painfully, but the discomfort was tolerable. Hermione was asleep on the coach and, when he looked over at her, didn't seem to be waking any time soon. Looking around and seeing his surroundings, Ron began to wonder how Hermione could have possibly dragged him up here, but soon began to think of other things.  
The castle looked deserted and the open door showed a hall with bare walls. Why was this room furnished?  
  
Author's Note: I hope you liked it!! This is the first story where I actually have the whole story planned out! I just write Mishap Madness as I go along.  
  
Up Next: Flesh and Bones, But Mostly Just Bones 


	4. Flesh and Bones, but Mostly Just Bones

Author's Note: This is one chapter I couldn't wait to write. For all of you who loved Mishap Madness because of its fluff, go read something else. This isn't exactly gruesome, but close to it and it has a bit more mystery and suspense to it then other stories. Anyway, just read it and tell me what you think. Also, if you spot spelling and grammatical errors, tell me and I'll look over my story. I'm a terrible typer and speller and could really use help.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry, his friends, or anything else in this story. I'm glad I got that off my chest.  
  
Saying of the day that I made up while I was in the loo: Think about everything you say or do before you actually do them. You're parents aren't really going to let you move to Paris.  
  
Chapter Four: Flesh and Bones, but Mostly Just Bones  
  
Hermione woke up slowly, her eyes opening groggily. The first thing she noticed was that Ron was awake. He looked troubled and worn, his hands on his chest as he stared at the ceiling. Hermione hurried over to him to check his bandages.  
"I'm fine, Hermione. How did you find this room?"  
  
"I just looked for a bedroom with a bed."  
  
"Why does this one have a bed and not the other ones? It's not even as dusty as the hall!"  
  
"How would you know, you can't walk," Hermione said absently, wrapping a new piece of Lavender's cloak around Ron's foot. Ron yelped in pain when Hermione poked the piece of cloth into place.  
Hermione stood up and walked to the wash basin. "I don't think we can find water here," she said, dumping the dead bugs that inhabited the bowl. She walked to the washroom door and opened it. It opened with a long squeaked that sent chills down Ron's spine, but Hermione walked in without flinching at the burst of cold air that flew past and blew back Ron's hair.  
Hermione closed the door halfway. "There's only a bath tub and a window," she called back to Ron. "There's this fancy curtain covering the window. It has gold thread and a picture of a naked woman. I'm glad you can't walk Ron; you'd be staring at her cleavage. I wonder what you can see out the window.."  
Ron heard the light note in Hermione's voice that a good night's sleep did to her, but it didn't comfort him much. The heavy velvet made a swooshing sound as Hermione pulled it back. Hermione screamed.  
  
(I love leaving people hanging like that! When I read other people's stories, I usually skip to the other part of the story to see what happens. You're welcome to do that too, but you might miss some stuff!)  
  
"Ginny, have you seen Ron or Hermione?"  
  
"Harry, I asked you if you'd seen them earlier. They've just disappeared?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess. Ron left to get his cloak a half hour ago."  
  
"And you just started missing him?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
Ginny lifted her eyebrows. Harry's brain only came back to reality after the big-busted girls had left for bed. Both were in the Common Room, picking up some of the trash so that McGonagall wouldn't scream at them. Harry seemed worried.  
Ginny sighed. "If they aren't back in fifteen minutes, we'll look for them. If we can't find them, we'll go to Professor Dumbledore. Harry, they're probably at the Quidditch field having a nice 'chat'"  
Harry rolled his eyes and sat down heavily on the couch next to the fire. He fidgeted for a few minutes while Ginny read her book. Finally, he broke the silence of the Common Room again.  
"Ginny, why do they avoid me?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Ron and Hermione. They've been avoiding me since the end of fourth year and it's just gotten worse since last year's thing at the Ministry."  
  
"They just want to give you space," said Ginny, putting down her book.  
  
"But I don't need space."  
  
"Harry, the way you act so.. touchy makes them think you want to be alone."  
  
"Touchy?"  
  
"You snap everyone's heads off if they attempt to talk to you while you're brooding and other times you try to intrude on other people and destroy their happiness because you want them to feel sorry for you."  
  
"No, I definitely don't want anyone feeling sorry for me," said Harry, beginning to grow tired of the conversation.  
  
"Well, not really, but you other people to know what you're feeling. You want them to suffer your losses, too."  
  
Harry knew they were talking about Sirius and his parents, and he definitely didn't want to talk about it. "It doesn't matter. Should we go looking for Ron and Hermione?"  
  
Ginny caught him. "You're changing the subject," she said, looking at him sternly.  
  
"Has it been fifteen minutes yet?" asked Harry, irritated.  
  
Ginny sighed again. Harry wasn't very good at being open.  
  
Ron tried to crawl to Hermione, but could barely make it off his blanket-made bed. Hermione ran out of the bathroom and into the hall with her hand over her mouth. She made it another room down the hall before her dinner from the other night came up.  
Ron leaned onto his back to try to see into the bathroom. Leaning against the large window sill was a skeleton of a young woman. She was wearing an old-fashioned dress that was much too big for her skeletal frame. Her hair was golden and curly and pulled into a loose bun on top of her head. Fingernail marks gouged the wooden sill. What made Ron's stomach rise were the spiders crawling about her skull. A large black spider sat in one eyehole and another was in her mouth. Other bugs Ron did not recognize were crawling nearby. Hermione came back into the room looking pale and clammy. Ron used a fire poker that was lying nearby to close the door and crawled back to his bed. Hermione lay down on the bed facing away from the bathroom, eyes closed. Ron saw her trembling body, but could not comfort her properly from his position on the floor. Instead he contented himself with stroking her hand, which was hanging over the edge. Both fell asleep, hands together.  
  
Author's Note: Another short chapter. Wait until Harry and Ginny talk to Dumbledore and read an interesting book! I really like this chapter, did you? Tell me in your review! (You are going to review, aren't you?) 


	5. Search but No Rescue

Author's Note: I need more reviews, guys!! I'm not satisfied with this story as it is, and you're lowering my confidence! Anyway, I hope you like this story, and, as always review (I don't care if it's positive or negative and don't try to be nice)!  
  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related stuff are not mine. They are official property of the genius of JKR.  
  
Famous Quote: "Love makes the time pass. Time makes love pass."  
  
-Proverb  
  
"Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache."  
  
-Mae West  
  
Chapter Five: A Search, but No Rescue  
  
"Okay, we're going to look for them," said Ginny, glancing at her watch. She looked over at Harry, who was staring moodily into the fire. He grunted, stood up, and walked over to the portrait hole. He didn't bother holding it open for Ginny, which forced her to dash out of the hole before it hit her.  
"What's your problem, Harry?" she demanded. Harry didn't answer. Ginny began jogging to keep up with Harry's fast stride. "Have you ever considered that this might be why people avoid you? You can't stand having someone mention something you don't want to talk about. What are you going to do when you have a girlfriend? You didn't want to talk about Cedric with Cho and that's why she started crying," she said accusingly.  
Harry whipped around to face her. His face was red and his eyes were bloodshot. Ginny was taken aback for a second, but soon recovered herself.  
"Don't ever talk about Cho again," He whispered dangerously. "Don't mention anyone who isn't in Gryffindor to me again."  
Ginny grew defiant. "I can talk about whoever I want, Harry. If I want to talk about Cho, Cedric, or Sirius, I will. You can't stop me." Ginny began to walk toward the Entrance Hall again. Harry, however, pulled her back.  
"What do you mean?" he asked her, his face murderous. "You'll just go upsetting everyone."  
"I won't upset anyone. No one wants to talk about them because their afraid you'll get upset and take it out on them." Ginny turned toward the big double doors at the end of the hall and pulled them open. She walked out determinedly and Harry followed.  
Both searched the Quidditch pitch, the locker room, Hagrid's pumpkin patch, and the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Then they went inside as it became dark and investigated the library, kitchens, and corridors. They finally decided that they had to go to see Professor Dumbledore.  
  
(Note: Harry and Ginny are on slightly different time from Ron and Hermione. They'll catch up later.)  
  
Ron awoke to sun streaming in from the tiny window above the bed hitting his face. Hermione was gone and mattress where she had slept showed no signs of anyone being there; Ron knew that organizing would help Hermione keep a normal frame of mind.  
Ron straightened his blankets, too, and tried to heave himself onto the couch, but failed. So, sitting on the floor, he occupied himself with trying to redo his bandages, but botched the whole thing. He had to wait for Hermione to come and fix the whole splint, to her visible displeasure.  
When Hermione did come in, she looked worn out and disappointed. When Ron asked her what was wrong, she answered, "We've been here for hours. No one's come yet."  
"They will soon," he said, hopeful that what he was saying was true.  
"That's not the half of it," she said. "We have absolutely no food or water, and I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." As she said this, Ron's stomach began to ache slightly and his mouth felt dry; she was right. If no one came to rescue them, they would starve.  
Hermione began to pace; Ron began to wish that he still had the ability to pace. Both were nervous and impatient. Finally, Hermione burst out, "I wish there was something I could do!"  
Ron was confused. "What do you mean?"  
"We have shelter and warmth, but it's not possible to find food in this dump. Winter's almost here, most of the plants have died, and all of the animals have gone into hibernation. There's no stream nearby because this is obviously a wizarding castle, and.."  
Ron stopped her. "What?"  
"Downstairs. There are some old books in the library down on the main floor. I just looked at some of the potions books. There aren't many, but those that are there are ancient. You should see them; they're amazing.."  
Ron cut her off. "There's stuff down there?"  
"Not much. Just junk the people who lived here didn't want, like tablecloths and books. There is one bathroom that has running water, but you definitely don't want to drink it. I left it running for a few minutes to see if it would clean out the pipes, but the water source itself is contaminated. We don't have any food or means of communication here, Ron," she ended desperately.  
Ron frowned. He didn't know of many wizarding castles in Europe because they were too big to hide efficiently. Hermione knew this, and was obviously worried about it. She sat down on the couch to think, her forehead creased with worry. Ron became uncomfortable sitting on the stone ground, so he moved to lean against the bed, his leg spread out to support his ankle. Together, they tried to puzzle out where they were and how they got here.  
  
Author's Note: It's really short and pretty pointless in the overall story, but I'm short on time, so this will have to do. Some of the next clues Ron and Hermione find are pretty important to the story, and Harry and Ginny's talk with Professor will prove vital too. Just wait until the next chapter!!  
  
Poll:  
  
Do you like action or fluff for R/H fics? 


	6. I'm Incredibly Sorry

Note: Sorry but I don't think the whole 'end the story on Christmas' thing is going to work. I had finals this last week and the SAT in January. With all of the studying I'm doing right now, writing is practically impossible. I've already had to drop out of Science Fair and hanging out with friends, and I hate to give up writing, but I might have to stop this story. I'll try to keep it going, but it will be very slow. If you really are in love with this story, tell me and I'll try to finish it for you. As for now, here's a little snippet from chapter six!  
  
Chapter Six: Fun at Hogwarts  
  
Harry and Ginny hurried up to Professor Dumbledore's office, skidding to a halt in front of the stone gargoyle. Neither knew the password, so they knocked to see if anything happened. Nothing did. As Harry knocked a second time, a telescope-type pole came out of the wall slowly, pointed at Harry, and moved back into place beside the stone gargoyle. The gargoyle jumped aside to admit them and both hastened up the escalator.  
When Harry reached the door, it was pulled open by Albus Dumbledore, Hogwart's greatest Headmaster. Harry respected Dumbledore a great deal and knew that he should only disturb him from fighting Voldemort and running his school if it were absolutely necessary. Harry considered his two best friend's sudden disappearance a necessity.  
  
Note: I know it's really short, but it's your Christmas/Hanukkah/all-other- holiday present. Happy Holidays!  
  
`````Katie 


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